Top 10 Albums of 2007
Joshua Carter(Owner/Founder)
10) The Gallows – Orchestra of the Wolves: Channeling
bands like Sex Pistols The Gallows have taken a page from old school punk
rock and given it their own modern twist. Easily the best punk album in
the past 10 years.
9) Great Northern – Trading Twilight for Daylight:
This album is easy to listen to from beginning to end. It’s a great
blend of alternative rock mixed with amazing vocals and great harmony.
8) Kanye West – Graduation: A great listen, Kanye
has really outdone himself with this one. I was never a big Kanye fan until
this album came out.
7) Sage Francis – Human Death Dance: Sage is one
of the best spoken word artists of all time. Mix it with DJ Shadow-like
beats and you get a very powerful album that hits you hard and doesn’t
let you go.
6) Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist: Billy Corgan is
back and he really hasn’t missed a beat. While most think that they
sound the same and that nothing has really changed, I say that’s a
good thing. It’s what made me fall in love with Smashing Pumpkins
when I was in High School.
5) Strata – Strata presents the end of the world:
Amazing! These guys have matured so very much. They’re now a band
that has something to say rather than something to scream.
4) !!! – Myth Takes: I love this album. It’s
so much fun to listen to. These guys have done such a great job at what
they do you can’t help but to smile through the whole album.
3) NIN – Year Zero: NIN is one of my favorite bands
of all time so it’s no surprise that they’re so high on my Top
10 this year. Year Zero is not their best album, but definitely up there.
2) Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City: This is really
a tie with my number 1. I love this album and there was a point where this
was all I was listening. Seriously, for more than three weeks I listened
to nothing but this album and it never got old. Now that I’m going
through this list, I think I’m going to go back to listening to it
for three more weeks.
1) Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth: A friend told
me about this guy and I was instantly hooked. He raps from the heart and
talks about things that is so powerful. This is by far the best rap album
in a very long time. This will be a classic that people will be talking
about for years to come. Brother Ali has hit the mark with this album and
I feel very fortunate to have met him on an occasion.
Honorable Mention: Band of Horses – Cease To Begin; Jay-Z – American Gangster; Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare; Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree; Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris.
Derric Tanner (Booking Agent/Show Manager/Street Team)
10.the national-boxer
9.bad religion-new maps of hell
8.the klaxons-myths of the near future
7.killswitch engage-as daylight dies
6.Saul Wiliams-the rise and liberation of niggytardust
5.the fratellis-costello music
4.kanye west-graduation
3.against me-new wave
2.spoon-ga ga ga ga ga
1.radiohead-in rainbows
Jeremy Davis (Show Manager)
1) Neurosis "Given to the Rising" - Neurot Recordings
2) Sounds Like Violence "With Blood On My Hands"
- Deep Elm
3) Aesop Rock "None Shall Pass" - Definitive
Jux
4) Junius "Junius" - SAF Records
5) Interpol "Our Love to Admire" - Capitol Records
6) Portugal the Man "Church Mouth" - Fearless
Records
7) Poison the Well "Versions" - Ferret Music
8) Radiohead "In Rainbows" - ATO Records
9) Bloc Party "A Weekend In the City" - Vice
Music
10) Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" - Merge Records
Honorable Mentions:
Pinback "Autumn of the Seraphs", Gallows "Orchestra of Wolves",
Dalek "Abandoned Lounge", Against Me! "New Wave", The
Dear Hunter "Act II - The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms.
Leading", Every Time I Die "The Big Dirty", Thrice "The
Alchemy Index: Vol. 1 & 2: Fire & Water", Hard Fi "Once
Upon a Time In the West", Atmosphere "Sad Clown Bad Summer"
& "Sad Clown Bad Fall"
Esther Lopez (Booking Agent - So. Cal)
1.Thrice - The Alchemy Index
2.Emery - Im Only A Man
3.Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Self Titled Album
4.Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV,
Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow
5.Bayside - The Walking Wounded
6.Cobra Starship - Viva La Cobra!
7.Chiodos - Bone Palace Ballet
8.Armor For Sleep - Smile For Them
9.Metro Station - Red Ink
10.Scarlet Grey - Black
Lisa Mongelli (Show Manager/Awesome chick!)
1. MIA - Paper Planes
2. Timbaland - Shockvalue
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
4. The Butterfly Effect - Imago
5. Talib Kwelli - Eardrum
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows
7. Lcd Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
8. Daft Punk - Alive
9. The New Young Pony Club - The Bomb
10. Dizzee Rascal - Maths + English
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Interview with Eric Victorino (lead singer of Strata) by
Joshua Carter (03.06.07) as seen in Zero Magazine
As I sit here in my hotel room in a western suburb of Portland, Oregon.
My laptop speakers are playing the new single from Strata
called “Cocaine (We’re all going to hell)” which is now
available on iTunes. I got the mp3 from Eric Victorino, the lead singer
of Strata, who tells me it’s a different sound for them. So far I’m
really digging the song. It’s catchy and tells a story of underage
drinking, sex, and drugs. My laptop speakers suck so I plug in my headphones
so that I can better dissect the song. I’m really enjoying it. He
tells me it’s going to be coming out in the spring.
When I was booking shows, Strata played for us in Oakland, California at
a historic venue called Sweet’s Ballroom on Broadway. The show was
a lot of fun because I’ve been a long time fan of Strata’s.
“Piece by piece” was a song that I used to crank up in my car
when I needed to get my blood going. I loved their harmonic rock sound which
had an almost anthem vibe. It was one that everyone could relate to. So
watching them on stage was a real treat. They brought a lot of passion to
their live act. It really showed that they had spent a great deal of time
on the new stuff.
I initially approached Eric about the interview a few days ago and let him
know that this would be my first interview. He was excited to “pop”
my journalistic cherry. We start exchanging emails. I had just finished
reading his book, “Coma Therapy” for the second time. It’s
a collection of poems and short stories based on actual events that have
happened in Eric’s life. It’s a sobering reminder that the life
of a Rock Star is not as glamorous as one thinks it is.
You’ve been labeled as Alternative/post-grunge by many websites, zines,
and critics. How would you categorize Strata?
“Heartfelt Rock N’ Roll!”
Your last album didn’t sell very well and a lot of people thought
you had gone away since it’s been awhile since your first release.
Do you think there’s a lot of pressure this time around?
“Fuck that - our record sold more than there are people
in my hometown. That's more than I ever wanted. We did go away for long
time, to reinvent ourselves, decide who we were going to be as adults.”
You guys worked with Sam Williams (People on Planes, Supergrass) on this
album in England. What can you tell us about that experience?
“Sam is a wonderful person and we had a great time with him in
England. I regret not spending more time in London though.”
Do you think it helped you guys to get out of the country for a little
bit to get this album done?
“Absolutely! We wrote some of our best songs in Oxford.”
Can you explain the process of how you guys get an idea about a song to
where it becomes something you guys consider for the album?
“Our writing process is different for each song, depending
on which members are working together on a new idea. Sometimes the words
come before the music; mostly it’s the music before the words. That’s
the most exciting thing about Strata, writing and album but it’s also
the source of a lot of stress.”
Are there any songs that you guys ditched for this album that may end up
on a separate album or EP?
“There are a couple of bastard children, but we won’t
say just yet what’ll come of them.”
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
“’Strata Presents the End of the World’ is
about how it feels for us to be alive at this very moment. Lyrically I tried
to get a little piece of everything in there.”
There’s a big difference between your early songs like “piece
by piece” and “cocaine.” Can you explain how your music
has evolved?
“’Piece by piece’ was written by angry, depressed,
and lonely young boys. ‘Cocaine’ was written by smart, happy,
and for the most part non-suicidal men.”
Your MySpace page is full of political messages. What effects does it have
on your music?
“I wrote one ‘political song’ for the new
record and left it at that. The ‘New National Anthem’ doesn't
pull any punches lyrically and I’m very proud of every word. I look
forward to the debates.”
You really don’t hold any punches when it comes to the current Administration.
If you had a chance to be locked in the same room with George W. Bush, what
would you tell him?
“I don't think he's someone I could even talk to, he lives
on a different planet. He's been filthy rich his entire life, his Grandpa
was the Nazi's banker, his Daddy ran the CIA and later was vice president
then president and he's grown up to become the modern day napoleon. I sing
in a rock 'n roll band. What could we talk about?”
You offer a lot of criticism. Any suggestions on how to correct the current
direction our Country is currently headed?
“I think having a functional congress is a start, checks
and balances have been absent from our system for 6 years (we set this country
up to escape the monarchy, did we not?). An administration in place that
respects our bill of rights, civil liberties and the constitution would
be pretty neat. Our President voided habeas corpus, our most basic right
to a fair trial and due process. He could legally deem anyone an enemy combatant
and lock them up indefinitely, even torture them. He's authorized warrant-less
spying on citizens and sneak and peak searches, information harvesting on
social networks (myspace). He's made it so they can read your email and
your regular mail and they don’t have to tell you or report to any
judges for warrants. He's also disregarded the Kyoto treaty and Geneva Convention’s
guides for human rights, pulled out of anything resembling progress toward
a peaceful planet. He's racked up what will be TRILLIONS of dollars in debt
and illegal, corporate funded wars which the US will be paying for, for
generations. Vetoed bills meant to enact and implement positive change for
the environment which are based in solid science all because he believes
his buddy Jesus is gonna come back soon and that the world is going to end
before global warming has a chance to kill us off. I could continue forever,
I haven't even addressed 9/11, Halliburton, oil pipelines, bush and Saudi
connections, weaponizing space, the project for a new American century or
the falsehoods and cover-ups in the zelikow commission's reports. I guess
the answer to your question would be, to correct the current direction we'll
need a time machine and a democratic governor (NOT related to BUSH) in Florida
for the year 2000.”
What was it like to grow up in the South Bay?
“I wish I knew, growing up, just how lucky I was to have
been plopped into such a great place. I've been all over the country on
tour and I haven't found anywhere I like better than the south bay. Sure,
it can get boring from time to time but as far as weather and location,
you can't beat it.”
You recently released a book with a collection of short stories and poems.
Any chance any of those will turn into Strata songs?
“Nope, they don't rhyme. It's not that kind of poetry.
A lot of the book's subject matter found its way on the album. They're companion
pieces.”
In your book there are a lot of personal revelations. What was it like putting
your feelings out there for people to read/judge?
“I really didn't think that through very well. When I
was writing my stories and thoughts out I don't think it ever really occurred
to me that people may actually read it. I should have changed more names
or lied a little to make myself seem cooler. My book may as well be like
‘dear world, I am a fucking dork, love Eric’.”
Do you plan on writing more?
“I plan to write at least ten books before I check out.”
There are a lot of really amazing bands that are coming out of the southern
Bay Area yet the South Bay music scene hasn’t really thrived for sometime.
A lot of venues have come and gone like the Campbell Gaslighter. What are
your thoughts on that?
“I’m really glad I’m not trying to start a
band in the south bay right now. It's sad.”
What are your thoughts on the Bay Area music scene in general?
“I honestly don't have much to say about it. My band has
been locked up in the studio for 2 years (on various continents)”
You guys used to be called “Downside.” What happened to that
name?
“It’s ancient history.”
You guys have toured all over the country with some great bands. What was
the worse show you ever played? What was the best show you ever played?
“I think the worst show I've ever played was our first
show in New York in 2003. One of my favorite singers Daryl from Glassjaw
was in the crowd and I was wasted, I forgot the lyrics and I think I fell
down. Best show is yet to come.”
You have a side project called The Limousines. It’s much different
than Strata. Do you ever see the two sounds inter-mixing? If so, would it
be a Strata song or a Limousines song?
“The Limousines is mostly soft, pretty stuff I've always wanted
to do. Strata's almost always got a darker side to the music. The biggest
difference between the two is obviously the people I'm working with. Eventually
I might be singing the same types of things in both bands just with different
music behind my voice. Then again, they could always be very different.
Besides, I think most people who've heard the first strata record aren't
even going to recognize the band when our new disc comes out.”
You mentioned that fans aren’t going to recognize you guys when they
hear this new album. Can you explain a little more about the new sound?
“We wrote and recorded the self titled album starting
in 2002 and it got released in 2004. It’s 2007, if we weren’t
moving on there’d be no point of any of this. Our sound has changed
and will continue to change for the life of the band because it’s
what we’ve always done.”
“Piece by piece” was a relative hit for you guys being on The
Punisher Soundtrack. It was the song that hooked me and made me a fan. How
has that opened doors for you guys?
“I guess we got a lot of off-road-extreme-dirtbike-whatever-the-fucks
and football-videogame types on myspace and we have relatively useless gold
record plaques in our closets.”
Have you ever thought of getting on the other side of the board and doing
some producing? If so, what kind of band would you see yourself producing
for?
“Absolutely not! I’ll stay on this side of the board
unless someone begged me to help them someday. But I’m in no position
to be producing anything. I know everyone else in the band will end up doing
that stuff someday because they’re all very interested in it. I don’t
care about gear or recording techniques or any of that stuff.”
The new album was originally slated for a February release then got pushed
back (which I’ve heard is pretty common). What’s the “official”
release date?
“I’m not telling ya because it might get moved back
again. Let’s say springish.”
What’s in store for Strata fans in 2007?
“A long, crazy ride.”
Anything you’d like to add?
“A pinch of salt.”
Strata will be on tour this summer in support of their new album that comes
out in April. For more information about Strata go to their website, www.stratadirect.com.